It's an insult, but the victim isn't Bush
It's everyone that believed him.
Anyway…
Congress Cops Out on Gun Violence
When President Bush signs off on Congress's fecklessness and approves the $388 billion omnibus spending bill, he will be ratifying the way his fellow Republicans used their juggernaut budget process to undermine one of his most touted programs: special aid to state and local governments to prosecute black-market gun crimes. Mr. Bush had earmarked $45 million for local grants next year, but Congress saw fit to erase these funds in the frenzy of passing the take-it-or-leave-it bill. Congress also erased an additional $106 million the administration wanted for tracking illegal gun purchases by children.
These programs subsidize major improvements in the most violently troubled neighborhoods by having all three levels of government coordinate attacks on gun crimes. Pleading "the reality of a lean budget," G.O.P. lawmakers add insult to injury because they gorged on billions in pork before taking an ax to the president's gun-violence programs.
No one should believe Capitol assurances that there will be money to be found elsewhere for the job. This subversive budgeting should be received at the White House as a direct insult to Mr. Bush, one that raises more questions about his appetite for fighting Congress. The president can face only more gaming of his priorities in Congress's omnibus bills - unless Mr. Bush opts to do the nation a favor and actually veto one of these annual monstrosities
